BATON ROUGE - Nearly 800 members of the Louisiana National Guard and veterans from all branches of military service were able to enjoy the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Wednesday night in the Louisiana Superdome thanks to the generosity of the Tiger Athletic Foundation.

Each year the TAF purchases tickets to the Sugar Bowl in the event that LSU plays in the game. This year, with the Tigers participating in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, the TAF chose to donate tickets to the National Guard and veterans of the military.

"We saw this as an opportunity to thank those who serve our country and protect our freedoms," said Maj. Gen. Ron Richard, Chief Executive Officer of TAF. "The Sugar Bowl is one of the premier athletic events of the year and we were pleased to be able to treat these soldiers and veterans with an evening of great college football."

The Louisiana National Guard received 400 tickets and another 400 tickets were distributed through the Veteran Tickets Foundation, a non-profit organization that makes tickets to athletic and entertainment events available to veterans across the country.

The National Guard members and military veterans witnessed one of the biggest upsets in Sugar Bowl history as Louisville defeated Florida, 33-23.